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Questions for the Doctor

Pregnancy and Diabetes Blog

Whenever I go to the doctor, I try to remember to write up a list of questions while I'm in the waiting room. This is especially true with my OB because he lets me ask as many questions as I want. So I actually feel a little unprepared if I don't have any questions for him. But as a first-time mom going through a diabetic pregnancy, I've had plenty of questions to ask so far. "When will my numbers go up?" "When will I start gaining weight?" "Is my baby gaining too much weight?" Thankfully, my doctor has always been great about easing my fears and giving me confidence that I'm doing well.

Now that I'm over halfway through my pregnancy, my questions are starting to reflect more on the actual birthday of my daughter. Even though I don't have another appointment with my OB for a few more weeks, my list of questions are starting to pile up. I'm wondering if he'll let me go the full 40 weeks or if he'll want me to go in earlier. Will I be allowed to eat and drink during labor, especially if I go low? Will I have to disconnect my pump and be put on an insulin drip? Some of these might be negotiable, like the insulin pump, but some might be a judgement call based on how my pregnancy progresses, like being induced early.

I've also started the process of finding the right pediatrician for our daughter once she's here. We received a list of pre-approved pediatricians from our insurance company a few days ago, and I've been calling each office one-by-one to see if any of them would see me pre-birth. Surprisingly, only one doctor would agree to meet with me before my baby is actually born. This is a little disturbing to me, because there's a ton of things I want to know about a doctor before I give them the authority to be calling shots on my or my family's medical care. But I also have a list of questions I want to ask them, too. What will you do if my daughter's blood sugar goes low after birth? Do I have to adhere to your vaccine schedule or can I choose an alternative route? Will you answer frantic calls from a one-time mom in the middle of the night?

I feel like I'll have a lot more questions to ask before that day comes, but these are definitely a start. There is so much anxiety and nervousness when it comes to childbirth and caring for a newborn. I'd like to think that the rest of my pregnancy will keep going as smoothly as it has been and that I'll be able to have an easy labor and a child who instantly breastfeeds and sleeps through the night. I'm trying to keep an open mind about it all and telling myself that it's OK for things to not be 100% perfect, because that's hardly ever the case. The joy in parenting is figuring this all out on a wing and prayer, right? That is the ultimate question!